The Best Banking Presentation Ever - Part II

Here’s the scene: I was attending the annual shareholders meeting for a start-up bank, Champion Bancshares (http://www.championbankstl.com/). To be perfectly honest I showed up partly because I heard the food at the event would be fabulous. And it was. What I wasn’t prepared for was how good the presentations were by the bank officers. In my limited experience, most people don’t camp out for several days to get line tickets for an upcoming bank presentation. The Police reunion tour, yes. A series of banking speeches, not so much.

At any rate, after the bank president Kirk Briden kicked off the meeting in fine style (See “Part I”), he turned the mic over to Lane Alpert, Senior Vice President. Lane talked about the commercial side of the bank by opening with a short anecdote about Auguste Renoir. (Art history majors, rejoice!)

Apparently Renoir suffered from terrible arthritis during the final twenty years of his life; it was so bad that his gnarled, pain-stricken hands could barely hold a paintbrush.

When asked by a friend why he continued to paint while he suffered so greatly, Renoir replied,

“The pain passes, but the beauty remains.”

Lane tied this quote to his team’s hard work and creative approach to banking. It’s not easy, but certainly worth the effort. He also quipped that bankers’ hours for his group meant 11-12…(long pause)…hour days. Nice.

And to top it off, Lane concluded his remarks by going back to the Renoir quote. Very poignant. Very symmetrical. Sort of like a Hemingway chapter. Bravo.

Even when the vertically-challenged CFO, Bruce Phelps got up behind the lectern to start his portion of the program, he opened with humor by saying, “Yes, I am standing up.” Laughter ensued. Undoubtedly Bruce had the toughest assignment of the night because he had to read all the legal disclaimers, review some key financial information and handle the Robert’s Rules of Order stuff. But he even joked about trying to make his part of the presentation shorter, but the lawyers wouldn’t have any of it. Another smile, dare I say a laugh from the crowd.

Finally, Kirk Briden once again stepped up to the microphone and he asked all 37 of the bank employees to stand while the shareholders gave them a rousing ovation. But he didn’t stop there. Kirk also acknowledged the support and sacrifice made by the employees’ spouses and significant others (who were also in attendance).

Again, it was THE best banking presentation I had ever seen. Kirk, Lane and company took a potentially dull discussion of data and turned it into a decidedly dynamic discourse. That’s dynamite.

Interesting sidebar: After the meeting I had no less than three people came up to me and ask if I had given the presenters speech coaching. I had not. I wished I could have taken credit for their speeches that night because it probably would have lead to additional business for me.

I guess I’ll have to find another group of bank officers that need help jazzing up their presentations. Know anybody who fits this description? Let me know.

Time to Hit Your Stride…

Your Turn #1: Who are the unsung heroes of your organization that need to be recognized publicly? How can you honor them in your next presentation?

Your Turn #2: Many people might think that banking and humor don’t mix. I think they mix quite well. Where can you add a little relevant, appropriate humor to your business communication?

Happy speaking,

Steve Hughes
Speaker - Trainer - Sudden Banking Enthusiast

So you think you can speak?

On Saturday I sat in on one of the early stages of the Toastmasters International Speech Contest. For those of you that aren't aware of this colossal annual event, let me set the stage.

25,000 people enter from over 14 countries across the globe.

Contestants write and deliver an original 5-7 minute speech on any topic.

The contest has six levels.

At level 5 you have to write and deliver an entirely new 5-7 minute speech.

At level 6 (the Finals) you have to write and deliver yet another totally new speech. So, you can't just be a one trick pony, you have to show that you can rock the house with three different speeches. Think of the contest as "American Idol" for speakers without the snide remarks from Simon Cowell. Previous winners include folks like Cavett Robert, the founder of the National Speakers Association.

What's amazing about this contest is that forces speakers to get the most out of themselves and their speeches. If you're looking for some good entertainment that's free to public, check out http://www.toastmasters.org/ and find a contest in your area. The finals are in Phoenix in August.

That said, I observed several things in the speeches (in Round 3) that are instructional for anyone who does public speaking. Some things to avoid, some things to do.

#1. Make sure you have the floor before you start speaking. This may sound obvious, but on more than one occasion the speaker was so eager to begin talking that he started while the last few claps of the welcoming applause were still audible.

Solution: Smile at the audience and wait at least 2-3 seconds in silence before you start talking. That way you'll have 100% of their attention.

#2. Avoid distracting/reflective/sparkly jewelry. One woman (who happened to be quite good) was sporting round silver earrings the size of half dollars that caught the light like a giant radio telescope. Combined with her head movements I found myself distracted by the light flashes emitting from her ears...at one point I thought she might be signalling "SOS" or something.

Solution: Accessories are great, but do a quick mirror check in two different settings to test the reflective aspect of your jewelry. The last thing anyone wants is for your sense of fashion to take attention away from you and your message.

#3. No one cares. Unless you tell them why they should. There, I said it. The contestants were telling lots of amazing stories, but very few of them took the extra step to involve the audience. While I was listening to these stories I found myself asking, "So what?" I'm glad you got through that difficult trial, but what does that mean for me?

Solution: As you tell a story (especially a long one), be sure to invite your audience to join you mentally by asking rhetorical questions. For example, when you mention that you got fired from your dream job, don't just plow forward. Pause for a moment and ask the audience if they have ever had a similar experience. Then, they'll be more likely to stay with you.

#4. Get out of the phone booth. Despite the fact that many of the speakers had good gestures, a lot of them were still trapped in the proverbial phone booth. Picture the speaker standing inside a phone booth (for those of you under 25, phone booths were where we used to place calls before the advent of cell phones). I could tell that a lot of the contestants wanted to move around the platform, but held back for some reason. They'd take a half-step here and a half-step there reminiscent of an 8th grader awkwardly attempting to do the Fox Trot at his first cotillion dance. Unfortunately, these kinds of movements communicate nervousness almost as loudly as shaky hands.

Solution: When you feel the urge to move, that's your body saying "Listen up, Public Speaker Person, I've got some nervous energy here and I'd really like to move around a little. Would that be okay?" When this happens, heed the call. If you have an 6' x 10' platform, use it. It will also help your audience pay more attention.

Time to Hit Your Stride...

Your Turn #1: The next time you give a speech. What questions can you ask along the way to engage your audience so that they feel included?

Your Turn #2: The stage is your canvas. How are you going to use the full footprint of the platform to deliver your next presentation?

Happy speaking,

Steve Hughes
Speaker - Trainer - Denture Wearer
http://www.hityourstride.com/